The fluorescent lights of Miki Convenience Store hummed softly overhead.
Behind the counter sat a pale-looking boy, slouched forward with one elbow resting on the surface and his chin pressed into his palm.
His long black hair spilled loosely down his back, several strands falling over his face no matter how many times he brushed them aside.
His red eyes were half-lidded, unfocused staring past the counter, past the shelves, as if he were watching something far away that no one else could see.
Or maybe nothing at all.
Boredom clung to him like a second skin.
Across the counter stood the cashier a short girl, barely five feet tall, with blonde hair streaked with silver tied loosely behind her head.
She was counting receipts when she glanced up at him, eyebrows knitting together.
"Hey, Eli," she said. "Did you restock the supplies?"
Eli didn't move at first.
Then his lips parted, his voice low and rough, as if he hadn't spoken much today.
"Yeah," he said. "Everything's restocked."
His eyes finally shifted to her.
"But which guild is it this time?"
Cassia paused mid-count.
"You didn't watch the news, did you?"
Eli shrugged lazily, the motion barely lifting his shoulders.
Cassia sighed, already regretting asking. "The Midnight Guild is challenging the Gate today."
Eli's eyes sharpened just slightly.
"…Which one?"
She met his gaze.
"The S-rank."
For a brief moment, silence hung between them.
"The Demonic Realm of Beasts."
Eli straightened instinctively, his chair scraping softly against the floor.
"No wait," he said, frowning. "Didn't the previous team get wiped during the challenge?"
"They did," Cassia replied. "Which is why they're going in immediately."
She leaned against the counter, voice lowering.
"The duo-time for that Gate was six months. It's already passed. If they don't clear it within ten days…"
She didn't finish the sentence right away.
"…the Gate breaks."
Eli swallowed.
"If that happens," Cassia continued quietly, "this city won't last an hour before reinforcements arrive."
She turned to face him fully.
"And you," she said, pointing at him, "are delivering the food supplies. now."
Eli let out a slow breath and nodded.
"Got it."
Then, trying to lighten the mood, he added,
"At least I'll get to see the Midnight Guild Master."
Cassia raised an eyebrow.
"One of the top 100 Presence-ranked Awakened," Eli said, eyes drifting upward as if imagining it.
"Moonlight Medium… Ahri Vegon."
Cassia waved her hand dismissively.
"Whatever. Just deliver the supplies and come back. I'll close the store."
She fixed him with a sharp look.
"And don't do anything weird there."
A grin slowly spread across Eli's face.
"Hahaha…" he laughed softly. "Fear not, mortal. I shall execute this task with unmatched brilliance."
A bottle flew past his head and shattered against the shelf behind him.
"God damn it, Eli!" Cassia snapped. "I just told you not to do that!"
He was already walking toward the back, waving lazily over his shoulder.
"Your commands know no bounds."
"Just go!" she shouted. "We can't mess this up!"
Eli loaded the food supplies into the van with practiced motions. Before closing the doors, he leaned out and raised his voice deliberately.
"Oh, and Cassi don't forget to send my pay today!"
Cassia froze.
They'd known each other since high school.
Two people who never awakened. Two people with useless traits. That shared failure had quietly glued them together over the years.
But shouting her name like that?
"…Why," she muttered, cheeks burning, "why would you do that in front of the store…"
By the time she looked up, the van was already disappearing down the street.
She stood there for several seconds, staring at nothing.
"…Idiot."
The Gate site was nothing like the store.
Noise crashed in waves shouting reporters, flashing cameras, police radios crackling nonstop. Barricades stretched across the streets as civilians were pushed back.
At the center of it all stood the Virtual Gate.
A warped tear in space itself.
Even from a distance, its pressure pressed against Eli's chest, making his breath feel slightly heavier. This wasn't something meant to exist in reality.
An S-rank Gate.
If it broke, the city would be erased in less than an hour.
Eli drove directly to the supply zone and cut the engine.
The moment he stepped out, a towering man approached him broad-shouldered, thick arms folded across his chest. The air around him felt dense.
"Are you the supplier?" the man asked.
His voice was deep enough that Eli felt it in his bones.
"Y-Yes," Eli replied quickly. "That's me."
There was no mistaking it.
This man was Awakened.
The man noticed his reaction and let out a low chuckle.
"Relax. I'm not going to hit you."
He gestured toward the van. "Open it. We'll handle the rest."
Eli nodded stiffly and unlocked the back. As the team moved in to unload the supplies, the noise around them suddenly surged.
The crowd stirred.
Then parted.
They had arrived.
At the front walked Ahri Vegon.
Her blue hair swayed gently against her shoulders as she moved, her green eyes focused straight ahead sharp, unshaken.
The armor she wore looked like it belonged in another world entirely, etched with glowing runes that pulsed faintly.
Behind her followed the elite team of midnight guild .
Including a man with silver hair, gray eyes calm and distant, dressed in a mage's coat.
Eli felt his stomach tighten.
"…Cain's here too?" he muttered.
The bulky man beside him nodded. "Yeah. They can't afford to fail this raid."
Eli knew why.
If they failed, even someone like him might not escape in time.
" Isn't Cain from the Ragnarok Guild," Eli said.
"He is," the man replied. "But the clearance reward is massive. Midnight can't do it alone."
"So they teamed up," Eli said quietly.
The man paused.
"…Yes," he said slowly. "They did ."
Eli frowned. "Huh?"
"Nothing," the man said, already turning away. "You're done here. Payment's been processed."
Eli nodded and climbed back into the van.
As he turned the key, unease crept into his chest.
Did I mishear that…?
He shook his head. Whatever. This place is only going to get worse.
The engine started.
Then
The air froze.
A translucent panel flickered into existence before his eyes.
[SYSTEM]
Trait : Gate Capture
Status: Slot Unlocked
Eli stared at it.
His trait the one that had done nothing for nineteen years.
The one that never even came with an explanation.
Activated. It had awakened